After a yoga class one day my student turned to me and asked if I wanted to go on an adventure to a secret clay beach. I had never heard of this beach since my time in Sayulita and immediately said yes, when can we go?
We went that afternoon, driving off in his old jeep, which he affectionately called his Grandma, towards this secret location, up the highway just beyond San Pancho (the next town up from Sayulita).
On the drive, Santiago told me about this beach. It was a mineral-rich clay beach, hiding on the shores of a small bay and accessed through a walk-only jungle path. Santiago had been told about the beach by another local friend who in turn had heard about it through another friend and so on and so on. Basically, this is a secret beach that you only discover when someone who knows how to get there, gifts you the opportunity for this amazing experience. Having spoken to many other local friends I relaised that it truly was a secret and unknown as most of them had never heard of it and those who had had not been yet.
I will warn you now, the drive down towards the Punta Monterrey Resort (reference point) is unbelievably steep and unruly. The Grandma Jeep made it but I was knocked on the head about 50 times in the descent. Any headache endured was well worth it though. We parked the car on the side of the dirt track where there was a narrow path entrance into the jungle.
We walked through the jungle and Santiago told me about the trees, plants and animals present there. The jungle was luscious and green as the rainy season had just ended and, despite being told over and over again, I can’t remember the names of all of the butterflies which we saw. We also saw a snake which was quick to slither off as the vibrations of our footsteps announced our presence.
The opening onto the beach is something from a movie. About 100 meters of soft white sand leads into crystal clear blue water of the crashing waves. At the end of the beach, hidden in the rocks was a small hole in which the mineral-rich clay was living.
Santiago led the way, layering himself with the clay, all over, before going on to lay on the empty beach and “bake” in the sunshine. This allowed the clay to dry and work its magic on our skin. Once baked we jumped into the water and the clay washed off, leaving our skin baby smooth and hair unbelievably soft. I actually applied another layer of the clay as a hair mask before I left the beach because after two months of surfing and swimming daily, my hair was very dry.
The whole experience was unbelievably nourishing and soothing, The fact that it is a rocky and steep journey down, followed by a spider web and snake dodging journey through the jungle made the reward of this secluded secret even more delicious. I highly recommend everyone to make this journey. But please remember, the beauty of this beach is down to the fact that it hasn’t been harmed by human life. When you go and visit please take everyone with you as you leave and respect the jungle and beach. After all, it is a gift from nature and should be treated as such.
